Method of and an apparatus for image analyses of biological specimens
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of analyzing cell objects on a support in automatic analyzing apparatus comprising the steps of:
- providing a support means which has previously prepared control calibration material thereon,adding specimen cell objects to the support means adjacent the calibation material,treating the speciment cell objects and the calibration material at the same time with an image enhancing material,calibrating the automatic cell object analyzing apparatus by analyzing the treated calibration material on the support means with light and imaging apparatus and adjusting the apparatus based on the analysis, andmeasuring and analyzing the specimen cell objects on the support means.
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Abstract
A user interactive system for dynamically testing and evaluating various cells, antigens, or other materials taken from the human body. More specifically, the DNA in specimen cells is analyzed and quantified by image analysis using pattern recognition techniques. The user is provided with a unique slide or support on which there are specimen and reference materials or objects which are simultaneously stained or otherwise image enhanced at the time of analysis.
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Citations
58 Claims
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1. A method of analyzing cell objects on a support in automatic analyzing apparatus comprising the steps of:
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providing a support means which has previously prepared control calibration material thereon, adding specimen cell objects to the support means adjacent the calibation material, treating the speciment cell objects and the calibration material at the same time with an image enhancing material, calibrating the automatic cell object analyzing apparatus by analyzing the treated calibration material on the support means with light and imaging apparatus and adjusting the apparatus based on the analysis, and measuring and analyzing the specimen cell objects on the support means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A cell analysis method for determining the mass of a predetermined material from the optical density of specimen cell objects, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a support with a reference area and a specimen area, the reference area already having a plurality of known refrence cell objects having a known mass of said predetermined material in said reference area; adding specimen cell objects of an unknown mass of the predetermined material to said support at said specimen area; measuring the optical density of the reference cell objects; determining a density factor from said measured reference cell objects and said predetermined stored known mass of said predetermined material of said reference cell objects; measuring the optical density of said specimen cell objects; and determining the true mass of said predetermined material of said specimen cell objects from said measured optical density of said specimen cell objects and said density factor. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A microscopic slide for an automated cell analysis system having stored known mass characteristics for cell objects and for use in analysis of specimen cell objects, said slide comprising:
a support having a reference area on one side of said support, said reference area containing reference objects thereon having said predetermined known mass characteristics similar to the specimen objects to be analyzed for a true known mass characteristic at a later time, said reference objects to be image enhanced or analyzed at the time the specimen objects are image enhanced or analyzed for calibrating the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of analyzing cell objects on a support useable with an automatic cell analyzing apparatus,
providing a support having control cell objects with known characteristics of a predetermined material, placing specimen cell objects having an unknown amount of such predetermined material on the support, putting the support in the apparatus for analyzing the cell objects, performing an integrity check on the support to determine if it is a valid support having the control cell objects of the known characteristics of the predetermined material for calibrating the cell analyzing apparatus, disabling the apparatus from analysis of the specimen cell objects of the support is not validated, and enabling analysis of the cell objects for determining the amount of said predetermined material on the support if the support is validated.
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32. An automated cell analysis system comprising:
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a microscope with focusing means; means for supporting a specimen slide means with specimen cell objects for mounting on said microscope and control cell objects on said slide means having known characteristics of a predetermined material and having at least one physical characteristic distinguishing whether said slide means is authorized for use in the cell analysis system; said control cell objects having a known mass of said predetermined material in said reference area; said specimen cell objects having an unknown mass of the predetermined material; means for measuring the optical density of said predetermined material in said control cell objects; means for storing a known cell mass for said reference cell objects, means for determining a density factor from said measured optical density of said predetermined material in said control cell objects and the stored known mass of said predetermined material for said control cell objects; means for measuring the optical density of said predetermined material in said specimen cell objects; and means for determining the true mass of said predetermined material of said specimen cell objects from said measured optical density of said specimen cell objects and said density factor. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A cell analysis method for determining the optical density of specimen cells, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a slide with a reference area and having on the slide reference cells of a predetermined optical density in said reference area; adding specimen cells of an unknown optical density to said slide at a said specimen area on said slide; staining both said reference cells and said specimen cells with the same stain; measuring the optical density of the stained reference cels; determining a staining factor from said measured optical density of said stained reference cells and said predetermined optical density of said reference cells; measuring the optical density of said stained specimen cells; and determining the optical density of said specimen cells from said measured optical density of said stained specimen cells and said staining factor. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
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45. A cell analysis method as set forth in caim 44 wherein:
said specimen cells are nucleated.
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46. An appartus for automatically analyzing specimen cells of a specimen side mounted on a microscope illuminated with a light source, said apparatus comprising:
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means for analyzing specimen cells and reference material on the specimen slide each having been treated with an image enhancing material; means for calibrating the light source on the basis of the distribution of light intensity from a calibration area on the slide; means for analyzing the cells of a specimen on the basis of the distribution of light intensity from a specimen area on the slide; and means for enabling said analyzing means on the basis of the distribution of light intensity from an identification area on the slide. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A method of measuring the hemoglobin in specimen blood cells by an optical density measuring apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a slide with control blood cells having a predetermined hemoglobin value, providing a slide with control blood cells having a predetermined hemoglobin value, placing on the slide the specimen blood cells, calibrating the optical density apparatus to the known hemoglobin value of the control cells, measuring the optical density of the specimen cells, and providing an output indicative of the hemoglobin value for the specimen blood cells. - View Dependent Claims (58)
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Specification